The matrix concept – systemic medicine

Systemic medicine is a new branch within bio medicine which is based on the systems theory. This theory has been highly influential in a wide variety of disciplines such as physics, biology, chemistry and especially, cell biology and epigenetics. The theory is based on systems, more correctly: refers to self-regulating systems that self-correct through feedback. They are found everywhere in nature, in local and global ecosystems including the physiological systems of our body. In the most general sense, system means a configuration of parts connected and joined together by a network of communication processes. The self-regulating systems are additionaly interlinked with their specific environment.

Reduction of complexitiy by meaning – the functional structural systems theory

According to Luhmnan each system has a distinctive identity that is constantly reproduced in its communication taking in account what is considered meaningful and what is not. If a system fails to maintain that identity, it ceases to exist as a system and dissolves back into the environment it emerged from.

The way of thinking in systemic terms is not really new, so-called amateur-theories refer to it. The behaviour of living beings or can never exactly be determined or calculated in advance. Also phenomena such as happiness, healthiness or illness are processes on a space time pattern and not just well-defined facts generally accepted by science.. They can be better explained by the use of on-linear theories like the systems theory.

Salutogenesis

Aaron Antonovsky, Professor of Medcal Sociology (1923-1994) developed the salutogenesis model.

He considers health not as a state but as a continuum or space-time-pattern (more or less healthy rather than healthy or not healthy). His salutogenesis describes an approach focusing on supporting factors of health rather than on factors causing disease. The model is concerned with the relationship between health, stress and individual coping. According to Antonovsky coping is highly influenced by individual perception such as comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness of an event, stress, stimulus etc. It is a concept made up of individual experiences (such as biography, education, physical, material, socio-cultural- and mental resources) which determine whether the stress makes sense and therefore is manageable or not. Furthermore, this concept interlinks the individual with its environment; it constitutes a systemic entity, to quote systemic terminology.

The sense of coherence determines the perception of the environment and is crucial for positioning on the continuum of emotional states e.g. health-illness. Many people today have difficulty giving events a sense of coherence, and perceiving them as being comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. It is obvious that these people are less stress-tolerant; they feel as if they are falling apart. Diseases and ailments without any physical cause arise, systemic and integrative health concepts are sought.

Cell engineering – new approaches

B. Lipton, an American developmental biologist, carried out various experiments studying the cell-metabolism. He saw that DNA and cell-metabolism are not just controlled by the cell node, but by signals from the cell membrane. Further experiments by K.J.Pienta and D.S. Coffey pointed out that not even the cell-membrane but the cell-water inside the cytoskeleton, is responsible for stimulating the entire working-process. Cells and intracellular elements are vibrating. This vibration frequency of the cells has a regulatory function and both the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton with its intracellular matrix function like oscillators coupled together. This vibration allows the specific transfer of information between the cells and within the cells by vibrating chemo-mechanical energy with harmonious wave movements.

The cell reacts to external influences. The connection that exists between the cell membrane and the extracellular matrix means that all movement and stress that act on the body also have an effect on the cell membrane and even on the DNA.

External rhythms (e.g. those of day and night) and bodily rhythms (e.g. of the heart, of respiration) are coupled to the direct movement of fluids between and inside cells. All living beings react to environmental stimuli. Without the environment no life is possible. Remember: A system is defined by a boundary between itself and its environment, dividing it from an infinite chaotic exterior.

Bodily rhythm is transported by fluids; cells act like oscillators to keep the frequency going throughout the entire connective tissue.

The ongoing physiological cell-pulsation results in a common, basic rhythmic oscillation pervading the entire connective tissue. Therefore, in addition to known bodily rhythms such as those of the hormones, of the heart, of respiration etc.. The basic rhythm of the connective tissue (generated by the muscle cells) must also be taken into account. It is even more important because the muscle cells represent a total of 45% of the body mass.

As Randoll et al. has pointed out, the basic rhythm of the soft tissue fulfills very important tasks in nourishing and cleansing in order to keep the body healthy. “The absence of these microvibrations in outer space missions, as well as, in cancerous tissue indicates their relevance for physiological transport processes in the extracellular matrix structure” (Randoll: a model of macroscale deformation and microvibration in skeletal muscle tissue).

Rhythmically microvibrating skeletal muscles are needed to facilitate the removal of waste products by activating the lymphatic and venous vessels.

Water is the symbol of life. The human body is made up of approximately 60% of water. Water is the basis substance of all bodily fluids. The fluids transport information (Emoto), nutrients but also all sorts of cell debris and toxic substances. The fluids are omnipresent in the body. The working process of the cells, the rhythmic oscillation of the cells and the entire metabolism depend on the quality of the fluids. If the fluids are congested with cell debris and waste products, the pH-value decreases, nutrients can no longer be transported, the cells working-processes stop, the rhythmic oscillation in the soft tissue decreases, resulting in diseases and ailments.

According to the salutogenesis theory it does not matter whether the cause of disease can be found on a physical or psychic level. Diseases and ailments are solely and merely determined by the sense of coherence. The sense of coherence itself determines how the rhythms of the environment are perceived and absorbed by an individual. The required constant frequency of bodily rhythm depends highly on the absorption process fulfilled by the sense of coherence. A weak sense of coherence cannot establish the adequate rhythm. The bodily fluids cannot flow properly and congestion occurs. If the quality of the bodily fluids is not ideal due to a diet poor in minerals, vitamins or pure water, the congested fluid situation in bodily tissue worsens even more.

The sense of coherence interlinks the physic and the psychic level, which clearly underlines the evidence, that the way we perceive our environment has a high impact on the metabolism, even on cell level.

Systemic medicine and the resulting matrix-concept according to Randoll provide the background knowledge to lifestyle diseases which result generally in nebulous symptoms mainly defined as starting from the connective tissue. Common to all is a progressive congestion of the soft tissue, accompanied by ongoing poor microcirculation, metabolic hyperacidity and disturbances to the lymphatic pathways.